Power control receptacle having laterally extending contact pins for engaging contact assemblies of a jumper head



Dec. 12, 1967 o. ROBARDS 3,358,265

POWER CONTROL RECEPT E HAVING LATERALLY EXTENDING CONTACT PINS FOR ENGAGING CONTACT ASSEMBLIES OF A JUMPER HEAD Filed April 8, 1966 36 g I 3759 g 22 2/ 26 24. J5 J4 United States Patent POWER CONTROL RECEPTACLE HAVING LATER- ALLY EXTENDING CONTACT PINS FOR EN- GAGING CONTACT ASSEMBLIES OF A JUMPER HEAD Preston 0. Robards, Roselle, Ill., assignor to Equipment Research Corporation, Chicago, IlL, a corporation of Illinois Filed Apr. 8, 1966, Ser. No. 541,234 1 Claim. (Cl. 339-195) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Contact pins for a power control receptacle are each provided with a hairpin spring in a contact barrel and a tab extending from a tab holder at one end.

This invention relates to electrical connecting means and it has particular relation to power control receptacles for use with jumper heads, such as those disclosed in Robards U.S. Patent 2,869,091, issued Jan. 13, 1959, and it constitutes an improvement over the pin contact disclosed in Ostrak U.S. Patent 2,690,546, issued Sept. 28, 1954.

Among the objects of this invention are: To provide an improved power control receptacle having contact pin assemblies that can be readily mounted on and removed from an insulating support; and to provide the contact pin assembly with a tab that is adapted to readily receive a terminal connected to a conductor and from which the terminal can be readily removed.

In the drawing: FIG. 1 is a view, in end elevation, of a power control receptacle embodying this invention and of the same general configuration as the jumper head disclosed in the above identified Robards patent. FIG. 2 is a View, partly in side elevation and partly in section, taken generally along the line 22 of FIG. 1, only one of the contact assemblies being shown. FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view, at an enlarged scale, of the contact assembly shown in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a view of the contact assembly shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 but at a reduced scale with the parts being shown in disassociated relation to illustrate how the parts are arranged for assembly.

In FIGS. 1 and 2 the reference character designates, generally, a power control receptacle which includes an insulating support 11 that is disc shaped and may be formed of a phenolic condensation product or like insulating material. The insulating support 11 is provided with a polarizing slot 12 in its periphery and it has counter sunk mounting holes 13 for securing it in place on a junction box or the like of a diesel unit or the like.

The insulating support 11 is provided with a plurality of contact receiving openings 14 in each of which there is positioned a contact pin assembly that is indicated, generally, at 15. A bottom wall 16 is provided in the insulating support 11 between the front and rear sides thereof and it has a slot 17 therein. An opening 18 is provided on the side of the bottom wall 16 opposite the opening 14 and it has a somewhat larger diameter.

FIG. 3 shows the details of construction of one of the contact pin assemblies 15. It includes a metallic contact barrel 21 that may be formed of good conducting material such as brass and suitably plated. The outer end 22 of the barrel 21 is curved to facilitate entry into the sleeve of the contact assembly on the jumper head. Near the curved outer end 22 of the contact barrel 21 is a radial slot 23. Within the barrel 21 a hairpin spring, shown generally at 24, is positioned. The arms 25 and 26 of the hairpin spring 24 bear against the opposite inner sides of the barrel 21 and the bight 27 is located adjacent the inner end 28 of the barrel 21. The arm 25 has an outwardly curved portion 29 near its outer end that is arranged to project through the radial slot 23. Its purpose is to engage the inner surface of the contact sleeve on the jumper head for biasing the opposite side of the barrel 21 into good contact engagement therewith.

The inner open end 28 of the barrel 21 is closed by a cylindrical tab holder 32 that is formed of good conducting material such as brass. The tab holder 32 has a body portion 33 which telescopes into the open end 28 of the barrel 21 and a radial flange 34 that overlies its outer end. The tab holder 32 is held in place in the open end 28 of the barrel 21 by solder 35.

In order to make electrical connection to the tab holder 32 and thereby to the contact barrel 21, the tab holder 32 has a transverse slot 36 formed therein for receiving one end 37 of a tab 38 which may be formed of copper or other good conducting material. The one end 37 has an opening 39 therein for receiving solder 40 which acts to hold the tab 38 securely in place in the slot 36. A frietion washer 41, FIGS. 2 and 4, is arranged to have the other end 42 of the tab 38 projecting therethrough and it has frictional engagement therewith to hold the assembly securely in position in the insulating support 11 with the other end 42 projecting through the opening 18.

The other end 42 of the tab 38 is arranged to receive slidably a terminal 43 of conventional construction that is secured to a conductor 44 which has a covering 45 of insulation. In the assembled relationship shown in FIG. 2, an insulating sleeve 46 extends in overlying relation from the insulation 45 on the conductor 44 and over the terminal 43 into juxtaposition to the adjacent side of the friction washer 41.

FIG. 4 illustrates how the contact pin assembly 15 is completed. The hairpin spring 24 is inserted through the open end 28 of the barrel 21 until the outwardly curved portion 29 moves from the position shown by broken lines in FIG. 3 to the position shown by full lines and through the radial slot 23. Next a ring 47 of solder is applied to the body portion 33 of the tab holder 32 and both are moved toward the open end 28 of the barrel 21 until the ring 47 of solder is located between the end of the barrel 21 and the adjacent side of the radial flange 34. Next the apertured end 37 of the tab 38 is inserted in the slot 36. Finally heat is applied to the assembly at the open end of the barrel 21 to melt the ring 47 of solder and cause it to flow as indicated at 35 and 40.

When the power control receptacle 10 is to be assembled, the contact pin assemblies 15 are positioned in the openings therein with the ends 42 of the tabs 38 projecting through the slots 17. The friction washer 41 then is applied to each of the tabs 38 to hold the contact pin assemblies 15 in position. The assembly of the power control receptacle 10 then is completed.

The connections to the contact pin assemblies 15 are made by applying the terminal 33 to which the conductor 44 is secured to the appropriate end 42 of the tab 38, it being understood that the conductors 44 are suitably identified in accordance with conventional practice.

When it becomes necessary to replace one of the contact pin assemblies 15, the terminal 43 associated therewith is removed from the end 42 of the respective tabs 38. Then the tab 38 is forced outwardly through the friction washer 41.

What is claimed as new is:

A power control receptacle for use with a jumper head having a plurality of contact assemblies each including a contact sleeve, said receptacle comprising:

an insulating support having a plurality of contact pin assembly receiving openings with a slot in the bottom of each opening, and

a contact pin assembly extending from each of said openings for telescopic'engagement with a' contact sleeve of a corresponding contact assembly of said jumper head ,each Contact pin assembly including:

a friction washer reacting between the adjacent portion a metallic contact barrel having its outer end rounded 5 insulating support. for insertion in the respective contact sleeve, and a radial slot near said one end,

a hairpin spring in said contact barrel with its bight near the inner end of said barrel, its arms reacting Reterences Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2 690 546 9/1954 Ostrak 339252 against the inner opposite sides of said barrel, and r one of said arms having an outwardly curved portion 10 2,869 D91 1/1959 Robards 33929 projecting through said radial slot to engage the inner 2,990,533 6/1961 Hughes et 33995 X surface of said contact sleeve and bias said barrel into 2,999,221 9/ 1961 Ellis et 339-476 contact engagement therewith,

a tab holder closing the inner end of said barrel and 15 FOREIGN PATENTS having a transverse slot therein, 1,024,602 2/1958 Germanya tab extending through said slot in the respective open- 1,381,189 10/1964 Franceing in said support and having one end in said transverse slot in said tab holder and the other end flat to receive slidably a conductor terminal, and

MARVIN A. CHAMPION, Primary Examiner.

20 I. R. MOSES, Assistant Examiner. 

